The Edge of Night

Cultures

“Perceiving that mortals were little more than spirits bound to wisps of flesh, the shepherds of the earth drew the ancestors together and poured into them the essence of the world, so that the metal that runs in great veins under the earth should run also in the veins of men, to strengthen their souls and hold fast their resolve.” - Chronicles of the Old World, by Macarian the Elder

Myth tells of a different metal poured into the hearts of every ancient family among this ancient community, endowing them with gifts deemed necessary by the gods for mortals to survive and thrive in the world. Natural philosophers of the Empire have interpreted these tales to reflect the major cultural groupings of peoples in and around the Illanti Empire, organizing tribes along lines of common ancestry and shared history into four major kindreds.

Other kindreds, said to bear such metals as tin and lead to adamantium and platinum, are confined to obscure histories and legends of far exotic lands. Still others are held to be lost to wars or hardship.

Silver Folk

“The patriarch Illen lived at the edge of the sea with his two sons, who braved the fury of storms to harvest the fruits of the waters, and into the hearts of his household pure white silver was poured. Those who carry blood of silver are said to value courage and honor above all things, even unto their death.”

The Silver Folk are referred to in ancient texts as “men of sea and star”, having plied the inner seas and dedicated great time and effort to study of the heavens and other esoteric matters. As they settled down, the culture’s penchant for study and industrious pursuit turned toward industry and architecture.

The Silver Folk are the dominant and uniting force in the Illanti Empire.

Copper Folk

“In the hills under the shadow of the mountain lived a husband and wife who had no children, only the memory of a son and a daughter who had died long ago. Into their hearts was poured shining copper. Thus, touched by the gods they bore many sons and daughters, and their offspring are said to be skilled in the crafting of many beautiful and useful things.”

Arising as a culture somewhere around the Akyron Sea long ago, the Copper Folk have long held a special respect for craftsmen and artisans. In the Old World they developed a sophisticated understanding of magic and natural philosophy, and contributed many writings about the structure and mechanics of the World, Otherworld, and Beyond.

Iron Folk

“Three orphans lived in the far plain under the setting sun, living not on the charity of their neighbors but on their own determination and fierce will to survive. Into their hearts was poured red-hot iron, and to their descendants are given the gifts of endurance to bear any hardship and mastery over the wilds.”

The roots of the Iron Folk lie somewhere in the foothills of the Alderin Mountains between the Vale of Ystral and the holy inland sea called the Escomere. Said to have once been ruled by a mythical High King, the common history of the Iron Folk ended with a brutal schism that scattered small clans across Ves, eventually growing into related but distinct cultures sharing a common (and frequently contested) claim on their ancient legacy.

Lesser Kindreds

Though no Illanti scholar worth his salt would admit it, the Imperial picture of history before the foundation of the Empire is woefully incomplete. More than a few cultures in and around lands known to the Empire are of dubious descent, and fit into none of the recognized linguistic or cultural groups. Rumors and legends surrounding the origins of these exotic cultures abound, accounting for the scattered remnants of long-forgotten empires and savages on the outskirts of the civilized world.